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Faiths, Deities and the Planes
I have glimpsed the Outer Realms, I have seen them swirl about us, like crows on a battlefield. Our world lay below, a great lantern in the void, drawing them from the darkness. Chains and tethers bound them to us, like lifelines for drowning sailors. Through these realms I wandered, and between. Monsters I met in great measure, often disguised in the shapes of men, and each realm was a broken mirror of our own land. Once I met another traveler, a man from a land nearby, yet we met crossing voids between realms. Close we sat in the blackness, and shared stories to fill the silence. '' Listen well and hear my friends, the Gods as we know them are not alone, the realms not fixed or unchanging, but fracturing endlessly, like sparks into the night air. Beware any man who presents a list or tome, who talks of tenets and truths, for he has glimpsed the heavens and found his mind wanting, and built a prison and called it faith.' '' ''- Writings of Narvin Goley, denounced heretic of Grostere. Imprisoned in Charley, his cell was later found empty, though the story was circulated that he had fallen ill and died. The Known Gods The list of Known Gods is as follows, and contains even those deities lost to time, but kept in the songs and legends of the mortal peoples of Tolas. Faiths of the Known Gods '''They traveled to us, through darkness and silence, to grant us the greatest gift; Order, and Peace in the Heavens. They are known by many names, beseeched for many causes, thanked in many tongues. They are our guardians, and the only beings worthy of worship The Gods of Tolas are worshiped in various faiths and practices across the world. Rarely worshiped as a cohesive whole, the Gods nevertheless represent aspects of Mortal life and struggle, and if one strips back the scripture and ceremony from many religious practices in Tolas, one can find common threads of worship, common calls for aid and intervention, and common understandings of the deities. The influence of these Known Gods is indicative of their connection to the Material Plane of Tolas. This connection is usually represented and safeguarded in the form of a Planar Anchor, a powerful divine artefact that chains the plane of the God to Tolas. Major Faiths of the Known Gods: The Ten For more information on this topic, see here. The faith of many in northern Etan, The Ten is a view of the Gods as a cohesive unit, a cohort of divine entities that traveled to the Material Plane together. Each God takes domain over a different aspect of Mortal affairs, and is worshiped separately. The symbols of the Gods, and the interpretation of their powers and domains in the faith of the Ten, are outlined below.: The Shining Virtues For more information on this topic, see here. A faith held by many in Central and Southern Etan, the Shining Virtues focuses on a smaller section of the Gods, who are seen to represent the best interests of Mortals, and embody civilisation, safety, and trade. The Gods of the Shining Virtues are known as: * The Lightbringer * The Watcher * The Benefactor * The Artisan * The Soldier * The Renewer Faith of the Three Protections For more information on this topic, see here. The Faith of the Three Protections, also known as the High Faith, or simply as the Faith, is the primary religion in the Realm of Novdahain in Northern Farthrone. Focused around the worship of Aureon, The Lady of Candles, and Moradin, known respectively as Oryon, Radya and Dumathain, the Faith emphasises the protections the gods offer mortals against the ills and misfortunes that can befall them. The Faith in Novdahain has a special and integral relationship with Spellblights and the general magical instability in the area. Lady and her Chosen For more information on this topic, see here. A faith practiced across the Nerevic Empire, the Temple of the Lady is a monotheistic religion focusing exclusively on the worship of the Lady of Candles, the god of life and death. Beyond praying for the souls of their ancestors and the futures of their descendants, practitioners also beseech the Saints of the faith for more frequent and specific intervention. In the Temple of the Lady therefore, no other gods are worshiped. Hunter Father and Loving Mother For more information on this topic, see here. In the Homelands, this religion is followed by many of the Catfolk, who developed an intricate storytelling tradition stemming from their creation myth about the Hunter Father and the Loving Mother. These two gods form the core of their beliefs, with other gods playing a lesser part in the myths and stories, and thus the worship of the believers themselves. Dragon Gods For more information on this topic, see here. Practiced almost exclusively in the Dragon-Lands, this faith revolves around two deities, Tiamat and Bahamut. Said to represent two philosophies of life, the gods struggle endlessly for dominance over the heavens, the world, and, in the eyes of the believers, the souls of mortals. Choosing which god's scripture to adhere to therefore is a matter of great personal importance to Dragonborn and other believers. Ẹtọ Sek Ona For more information on this topic, see here. A faith followed exclusively in Sekarad, the faith posits that there are six paths in life and that one must devote themselves to following one of these intently. Each path encourages a different lifestyle. Some of the paths are associated with particular members of The Ten, though not all gods in the pantheon are represented. Church of Truth For more information on this topic, see here. The largest organised church in Grostere, the Church of Truth is Pelor devoted order that has been widely accepted in Grostere and some parts of the Noble States. It is one of the most powerful religious groups in Etan, known for its reliance on oracles and prophecies being gathered together into a singular text that is under constant review. Exarchs For more information on this topic, see here. Although not strictly Gods themselves, the Exarchs are powerful outsiders sent by the Known Gods onto the Material Plane. Able to perform amazing acts of divine magic, and grant divine aid to those who pray to them, the Exarchs are autonomous divine beings that generally cause cults to be created in their worship. Although the exact reason for the appearance of Exarchs is unclear, one popular notion is that the Exarchs have been sent to prepare mortals for a second Dawn War. Silence of the Gods I do not know why the Gods abandoned us. I have heard rumors of a great evil arising, a being who believes our world should die. Whether they left to fight him, or were led astray by his malice, I do not know. But I remember what it felt like, to have that link severed, to have my faith, my soul, drift alone in the world, uncared for, vulnerable to doubt and fear. I can only draw hope from their return, from the appearance of more of their servants, and from the tales of a new being amongst them, who has come to bring hope again, to reignite our will to endure. The disappearance in 7 DE of the Known Gods came as an unprecedented shock to many of those who found faith in the Known Gods, or derived power from them. Unable to commune with the Gods, receive visions of instruction, or beseech them for aid, the Mortals who relied on divine patronage struggled to survive and find meaning in their new-found isolation. Even the Exarchs, divine servants of the Gods, found themselves alone. Without instruction or guidance, many of these fell into the most radical or zealous interpretation of their mission and aspect, with sometimes disastrous consequences. When the Silence ended in 18 DE, the old relationship between believers and their deities largely resumed, and the Exarchs once again benefited from Divine guidance. For those who had held on to their faith, it was a time of rejoincing, while those who doubted demanded answers and explanations. Few were forthcoming. What became apparent was that the Silence coincided with the arrival of a new deity, Umbarnir, either through the disruption of his arrival or by design, interrupted the communication between the Known Gods and Tolas. This disruption was only repaired when Elendai, the God of Hope and Redemption, emerged from the Void and intervened, restoring the link between the Gods and their worshipers, and ending the Silence. Spirits Outside of the worship of the Gods, many on Tolas still find faith and belief in other entities. One of the most common of these are the Spirits. Beings that are infused in the landscape itself, worship of Spirits is therefore highly localised, differing between towns and nations. Worship of the Spirits therefore rarely has as much scripture or writings as religions based on the Gods, and is usually a more decentralised, personal religion. A fisherman might worship the Spirit of the lake he fishes on, or the Spirit of the winds in his area to protect him from harm. A farmer might worship the Spirits of the earth for bountiful harvest, or try and appease the Spirits of the river to avoid flooding. Even in cities, Spirits can emerge to watch over streets, districts, or even old buildings. Primordials Ruling the Material Plane long before the arrival of the Gods, the Primordials are ancient, cruel beings. Following the long and brutal Dawn War, the Primordials were imprisoned in secluded locations across the world, but were still able to subtly make their presence known, and have grown their cults and power over the millenia. The four Primordials are as follows: Azo - Primordial of Fire Ogremoch - Primordial of Earth Xhahon-Dor - Primordial of Water Zessara - Primordial of Air Creation Myths Although not necessarily divine in nature or subject, the creation myths of the peoples of Tolas hold a powerful influence over communities, and many local traditions are a result of these myths. The detailed creation myths are as follows: The Creation of the World - A pervasive creation myth, especially in Northern Etan where the Ten as worshiped. Zelfolk Creation Myth - The belief of the Zelfolk that the world was created by the sun who married it and now pursues it across the stars. Vhiran Catfolk Creation Myth Archdevils For more on this, see here. The Archdevils are those entities that rule the Nine Hells. They have no planar anchor connecting them to Tolas as none are powerful enough, nor has the knowledge how, to create such a binding force. * Bel * Dispater * Belial and Fierna * Levistus * Glasya * Beezelbub * Mephistopheles * Asmodeus The Planes For more information on the Planes, see here. The world of Tolas hangs in the Void like a lantern, drawing many other entities and realms to it from the blackness. Many of these seek intrusion or dominance over the Material Plane, others simply bind themselves to it, using Tolas as an anchor on which to rest their dominion. The relationships between the Planes, and the number of Planes themselves, are not entirely clear. But some truths have been discovered. Tolas is surrounded by the Silver Veil, a barrier that bleeds out of a portal to Eschensil into the night sky, itself moving around the world, waxing and waning with the months. This barrier prevents entities akin to and including gods from traveling to Tolas, lest they be afflicted with terrible madness, a fate which is said to have befallen the Mockery. Category:In-World Concepts Category:Exarchs Category:Deity